Bevel gear holding mechanism



March 1, 1949.

B. C. DAY

BEVEL GEAR HOLDING MECHANISM Filed April 17, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 1, 1949.

B. c. DAY

BEVEL GEAR HOLDING MECHANISM 2 Sheec-Sheet 2 Filed April 17, 1945 Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED S TAT'QES ATENT OFFICE I 2,463,156 1 f I BEVEL GEA R HOLDING MECHANISM Bernard 0. Day, Springfield, Vt., assignor' to Bryant 'Ghucking Grinder Company, Springfield, vt a-corporationwf"Ycrmont Application April 1-7, 1945,5Se1ialJNo. 588,759-

2- Claims;

This invention relates to devices for supporting b'evel gear's and has foran object to providesuch:

a device which supports the gear in definite relation to its pitch cone, and which can correctly so support the gear regardless of whether the gear teeth rarestraight, skewed, or spiral;

A. further object is to provide such rsupportin'g 'meansi whi'ch applicable to support a gear accuratly'in a chuck in which-the gear may be clamped'inicoaxi'al relationato' the gear -pitchcone.

'In accordan'c'e withthis invention, gear teeth engaging elements'rhavingspherical te'ethengagmg faces are-employed.

For a completeunderstanding ot this invention, reference may be had to the accompany ing drawingsihmhith Figure 1 is afront elevation of 'a chuck embod'ying the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in section calmer-42 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation, the gear being omitted and arranged to support a gear-with helical teeth. v

Figure 3a isia view similar to Figure 3; but

showing the: supporting "means particularly 'con-- structedto support "atbevel gear having straight teeth;

FigureAisa view'similar to a portion of Fig ure 2, but to a-larger scale and showing amodifica'tion. t

Figures 5 and 6 are'viewssimilarto Figures 1 and 2, respectively; but showing a furthermodi fication'.

Figure 'l is ase'ctional viewon line "1-4 ofFig to .a larger scale. of theconstruction shownjinifiigure arcane 1 v2 structed for supporting a bevel gear having: hellcaltteeth. t v J Figure 15 is a view similar to Figure 14, but showing the construction forsupporting straight teeth.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show a chuck-embodying a holder'constructed in accordance with this invention. As shown the chuck body 2' is attached to a work spindle l as by-screws Sin coaxialrelation. Thegportion 2 has a'forwardlyfextending circular flange 4Tt0 thS"0uter extremity of which is-secured,..as by the screws 5, a ring membert; Meansrforrigidly spacing the bevel :gear vteeth-engaging elements, these elements being-held:betweenaangularlyrelated locating faces, is broadly claimed in the Day ct a]. Patent No. 2,443,895 granted June'22, 1948. This ring, member has anannular way 1 in its outer face formedvby two faces 8 and-El disposed at rightangles to each other; and in thiswaythere may be *placedza plurality of balls Hi, spaced therearound in. accordance with the spacing of teeth-of abevel'gear'shownin dotted lines at H. 'Ilheremay be a'much smaller number of balls Ill than there are spaces between the teeth of the geartdbesuppoited, and' they may be spaced angularly within the way andrigi'dl y so held by a plura'lityof segmental spacing blocks It which may be secured in position by screws IS which enter into the forward face of the ring 6.

The ballsmay' be held in position within the way 'il, an'd 'forthis purpose, a ring it is shown havingoutwardlyextending fingers I 2 each hav ing afiaring outer face H1 "This-ring lfi-may'have a 'central internal fiange la which is positioned opposite; to a similar flange 19 on the ring menubent; and these two may be secured together as by s'crews 10;" the tightening of these screws bringing the enlarged diameter "-endportions of the fiiig'ers 12' into engagement with the balls i9, and-clamping? them against the *faces' 8 and 9.

Wherethefinger'aeuoh as" I 2 are employed to engageone sl'deof ea'ch of thegear supporting elementsfsuch as the balls, these fingers have to pass-between adjacent teeth of the gear. Where the'teeth are spiral teeth as shown in Figures 3 and 134;:the fingers 1 2 have to be correspondingly shaped or inclined relative to a radius ofthesupporting ring; Where the gear teeth are straight, fingers li2."ia re arranged radially as shown,

in Figures 3a to 15, and where the ball is of sufficient diameter to engage the faces of non-adjacent teeth and is notched to permit the intermediate tooth to pass therethrough, a plurality of fingers l2 arranged to engage the supporting element on either side of the gear tooth which engages in the element slot will be employed as shown in Figure 3a. When a smaller diameter ball is employed which engages with adjacent gear teeth, a single finger l2 only will be employed for each ball as shown in Figure 15. While in Figure 3 the supporting element is shown as a ball having a slot therein to receive one of the gear teeth of a spiral or helical gear, a single finger I2 is sufficient to hold each ball in place for the reason that due to the angularity of the teeth and slot, a single finger 12 only is in position to properly engage the ball to retain it within its retaining annular way.

As shown in Figures 1, 3 and 7, the balls ill may be provided with slots 25 cut therethrough to permit the entry in each of one of the gear teeth 27, the balls Ill engaging with their spherical surfaces against the adjacent faces '28 and 29 of the gear teeth on either side of the tooth 21. The balls ID engage teeth of the bevel gear 'in definite relation to the pitch cone of the gear, and the gear may be clamped in position thereagainst as is necessary where the holder is incorporated in a rotating chuck.

One means for so holding the bevel gear is shown in Figure 2. As shown therein at 36 is a spider rockably attached to the forward end of a sleeve 3! as by a nut 32 threaded on the forward end thereof, and having a spherical face engaging a conical face of the spider. The spider has pivoted thereto and riding in slots 33 through the ring 6 at angularly spaced points, arms 34 to the forward end of each of which is fixed, as by a screw 35, a finger 36. This finger has a beveled inner end, as 31, which may engage against a forward inclined face 38 of the gear, such engagement holding the gear back against the balls 16. The rockable mounting of the spider 30 permits equalization of the holding pressure exerted on the gear by the finger 36. Each of the arms 34 is provided with a cam face 40 near its outer end which cooperates with the inner face of the slot 33 when the spider is pulled back to the position shown in Figure 2, so as to rock each of the 'arms 34 inwardly toward the axis of the gear and clamp the gear in position. By moving the sleeve 3| forwardly, a shoulder 350 thereon engages and pushes the spider 3B outwardly, bringing the cam faces 40 outwardly of the ring 6, so that the arms 34 are permitted to spring outwardly away from contact with the gear, this being effected by a coil spring 44 surrounding a guide pin 45 and reacting between the inner forward face of a recess 46 through the flange 4, and a tail piece Mon each of the arms 34. A work ejector 49 mayextend through the sleeve 3| and be axially movable to engage and force work out from the chuck when desired.

In Figure 4, a modified arrangement for holding the balls H] in position is shown in which the outer wall of the ball-receiving recess at 56 has an inwardly inclined portion against whichthe balls are held by engagement with a cylindrical outer face on a ring l6a shown in Figure 2. On the forward end face of the ring 6a are fingers I 2a projecting between the teeth of the gear held by the chuck.

In Figures 5, 6 and 8 a different form of ele-' ment for engagementwith the. gears .is shown,

4 this element comprising a base 60, provided with a spherical ended extension 6| which may be provided with a transverse slot 62, similar to the slot 25 of the ball I 0. The base 60 may be provided with holes for the reception of Allen screws 600 by which the element 60 may be secured in position in an annular way 63 in a ring 64, this ring having the function of the ring 6 of Figure 2. One of the gear teeth may lie within the slot 62 and the spherical side walls outwardly thereof engage the adjacent sides of the teeth next to the one lying within the slot. The gear may be held in position properly engaged with the element 60 by clamping mechanism shown in Figure 6 identical with that illustrated in Figure 2.

It is also possible to employ individual balls for engagement between adjacent teeth of the gear as shown in Figures 9 to 15. The rear face of the annular way 69 within which these balls 10 are supported may be provided with conical,

or spherical recesses H or 12', respectively, as shown in Figures 11 and 12 within which the balls l0 may rest, this providing the desired spacing therebetween and eliminating the need for spacing blocks between the gear teeth engaging elements. The balls 10 may be held in position in engagement with the two faces 13 and I4, shown in Figure 13, by fingers l2 of the clamping ring I6, and as shown in Figure 14, when the gear to be supported has spiral teeth, the fingers 12 will be inclined to the radial in order to pass in between the gear teeth, While when the teeth of the gear are radial, the fingers I2 will also be radial as shown in Figure 15. The faces 73 and 14,-as shown in Figure 13, are on the ring element 69 which has the recesses H or 12 to receive the balls, while the face 14 is on the outer flange of the annular support 15, which takes the place of the ring member 6 shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 2 and 5 to 9, respectively.

From the foregoing description of certain embodiments of this invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

I claim:

l. A holder for bevel gears comprising an annular support having depressions in one face coaxial therewith, an element seated in each of said depressions and having a spherical face portion for engagement with side faces of teeth of a bevel gear on said holder, a spider movable axially of said support, a plurality of clamping arms pivoted to said spider, a ring supported coaxially with said support, said ring and arms having cam parts cooperating when said spider is moved in one direction to force said arms inwardly into clamping engagement with a bevel gear engaging said elements, yielding means for swinging said arms out of clamping position when permitted by said ring, and means for moving said spider.

2 A holder for bevel gears comprising an annular support, having depressions in one face coaxial therewith, an element seated in each of said depressions and having a spherical face portion for engagement with side faces of teeth of a bevel gear on said holder, a spider movable axially of said support, a plurality of clamping arms pivoted to said spider, a ring supported coaxially with said support, said ring and arms having cam parts cooperating when said spider is moved in one direction to force said arms inwardly into clamping engagement with a bevel gear engaging said elements, yielding means for swinging said arms out of clamping position when permitted by said ring, and means for moving said spider and with which said spider rockingly engages to permit equalization of pressure exerted by said fingers on said gear.

BERNARD C. DAY.

REFERENCES CITED Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Stvanek Apr. 9, 1912 Heald Apr. 8, 1913 Garrison Nov. 17, 1925 Rohde Mar. 16, 1926 Naylon Mar. 27, 1928 Kempton et a1 Sept. 25, 1928 Garrison Apr. 11,;1939 Klomp 'Aug. 1, 1944 

